1. Field of the Invention
Wheel-tractor scrapers pose a shipping problem when they are delivered to a job site or a customer on a railroad flat car or are driven on a public highway. In particular, the width and low operating profile of the scrapers require special shipping techniques to comply with certain governmental regulations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,173 assigned to the assignee of this application, discloses the detachment and placing of the scrapers draft arms in the scraper bowl to reduce the width thereof for shipping purposes. In addition, such patent discloses the use of a bracket which is secured between a draft tube and the apron of the scraper bowl. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,250, assigned to the assignee of this application, discloses the detaching of the scrapers draft arms from the exterior of the sidewalls of the scraper bowl, the attachment of said draft arms interiorly of the sidewalls of the scraper bowl and attachment via a bracket to the ends of the draft arms which are not attached interiorly of the sidewalls of the scraper bowl to the draft tube of a tractor.
2. Summary of the Invention
An object of this invention is to provide an improved, economical and non-complex rigid transport assembly for tractor spacers and a method for efficiently using same. The transport assembly comprises of a generally flat bracket including longitudinally spaced first and second end portions integrally connected together in straight relationship by an intermediate portion. The assembly also includes spacer means mountable interially on a sidewall of a scraper bowl of a tractor scraper, a draft arm attachable at a first end thereof to said spacer means a spaced distance away from a respective sidewall of said scraper bowl, and mounting means formed at each of the first and second end portions of the bracket to respectively attach the bracket to a second end of the draft arm and to a draft tube of the tractor scraper.
A transported tractor scraper of the type having a scraper bowl connected to a tractor is also disclosed and claimed. The transported tractor scraper comprises a laterally extending draft tube longitudinally between the tractor and the scraper bowl. Spacer means are mounted interially on a respective sidewall of the scraper bowl. A pair of draft arms are provided each having a first end thereof detachably mounted interiorly on said spacer means a spaced distance away from a respective sidewall. A generally flat transport bracket is detachably interconnected between a second end of each of the draft arms and the draft tube.
A method for transporting a tractor scraper of the type having a draft tube and a pair of draft arms interconnecting a scraper bowl to a tractor is also disclosed and claimed. The method comprises removing the draft arms from the scraper bowl and the tractor, connecting spacers interiorly on each sidewall of the scraper bowl, interconnecting a first end of each draft arm to a respective spacer a spaced distance away from a respective sidewall, and attaching a second end of each draft arm to the draft tube.